President Donald Trump announced Saturday he will impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, citing an anti-tariff television advertisement aired by Ontario’s provincial government that he called “a fraud.”
The ad, which used remarks from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan to criticize American tariffs, aired during the opening games of the World Series. Trump said Ontario Premier Doug Ford had agreed to remove it immediately but allowed it to run through Saturday, prompting the tariff hike.
“Their advertisement was to be taken down IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account while en route to Malaysia aboard Air Force One. “Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now.”
The White House did not immediately clarify when the tariffs would take effect or whether they would apply across all Canadian exports.
Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc responded by noting that trade relations are managed by Canada’s federal government, not the provinces. “Progress is best achieved through direct engagement with the U.S. administration,” LeBlanc said in a statement.
Canada’s economy has been heavily affected by Trump’s tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been seeking to ease trade tensions, as more than three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the US, with about C$3.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) in goods and services crossing the border daily.
Many Canadian products already face tariffs of up to 35 per cent, while steel and aluminum are hit with 50 per cent duties. Energy products are taxed at 10 per cent, though most trade remains covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which Trump has recently criticized despite having negotiated it during his first term.
Trump and Carney are both attending the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, but Trump told reporters he has “no intention” of meeting the Canadian leader there.
Trump also accused Ontario’s ad makers of attempting to sway the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of hearings next month on whether he exceeded his authority in imposing earlier tariffs.
